While His Holiness was at Tsurphu, the Karmapa fulfilled the traditional
responsibilities of the Karmapa, ministering to the Tibetan people and
supporting Tsurphu Monastery. The monastery underwent extensive rebuilding to
restore the temples, shrines, stupas, a shedra, and residences that had been
destroyed over the years, fulfilling one of the main duties of a Karmapa. As the
years went by, however, the authorities began to restrict the Karmapa's ability
to travel and teach his disciples, and to receive the transmission from his
lineage teachers. His Holiness decided that it would benefit beings most if he
were no longer to stay in Tibet. In view of the refusal of the authorities to
allow him to leave, he undertook a plan of his own.

Various accounts of the Karmapa's escape has been described in innumerable
media reports around the world. On April 27, 1992, His Holiness himself
described his departure to the world wide media, which is reprinted below. “During this…

The land of Sikkim, at the border of India and Tibet, was consecrated as a hidden sanctuary for the Buddha's teachings during the present epoch by the second Buddha, the great master Padmasambhava, who blessed it with the vajra wisdom of his body, speech, and mind. Through the infallible power of his aspiration and through our great effort, the monastery Shaydrup Kunkhyap Otong Khyilway Tsuklakhang (the Temple of Pervasive Teaching and Practice Blazing with a Thousand Lights), has been established for the preservation of the precious doctrine of the Buddha, which is the source of all benefit and happiness in existence and tranquility, and for the sake of all beings in the world.

Before the building's foundation was begun, I performed the customary removal of impediments and, using a sand mandala, the ritual of Chakrasamvara, blessing the location so that it is his wisdom mandala. In that and similar ways, the site has been consecrated m…

The Karma denomination of Tibetan Buddhism originates with a disciple of Milarepa. It reaches us today in the form of a chain of word-of-mouth teachings that comes by means of the activity of Karmapa, who is sometimes called the Black Hat Lama.

In 1999, just before H.H the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa left Tsurphu in Tibet to undertake the trek over the Himalayas to India, both H. E. Tai Situ and Khenpo Karthar carefully explained the role of the Karmapa. Unless otherwise indicated, in the first section the explanations are Tai Situ's.

The Gyalwa Karmapa is
the embodiment of all the activities of the past, present and future Buddhas of
all directions. All directions are described as the 10 directions. The Gyalwa Karmapa is
the source of all the 84,000 Dharmas, which manifested as part of the
enlightenment of the Buddha Sakyamuni. In the same way, a manifestation of the
source of all the limitless immeasurable teachings of the Buddhas of the three
times. Th…

Dharmakaya,
unchanging unity of appearance and emptiness, Vast
expanse of youthful, great bliss, Sky
of spontaneously present joy free of defilement, Bestow
a feast of unchanging goodness upon us. Through
the seeds of inherently pure virtue That
arise from even a bit of glorious goodness, And
the bright smile of virtue revealed By
offering the light of these lamps to the three jewels, May
the well-being of a golden age arise In
this realm of the thousand-petalled lotus. May
this time of warfare and disputation be pacified. May
auspicious excellence, prosperity and goodness flourish. Especially,
throughout the land of America, May
the youthful lotus of teaching and practice bloom. May
innumerable oceans of realms be filled With
the melodious roar of the profound secret.

In
response to the request of Tenzin Chonyi, whose good intentions are peerless,
this was written by Ugyen Trinley, who bears the crown of the name Karmapa, on
the 16th of August 1999. May it be auspicious. Copyright 1999 Karm…

From the text “The Lives of the Karmapas”by Mendong Tsampa Rinpoche February 20 and 21, 1999Translator: Yeshe GyamtsoVol 15 No 1

I have been living and teaching here for many years and up till now have not had the auspicious opportunity to teach in the early part of the New Year. Today is not only close to the beginning of the year but it is the third day of the Tibetan year, which is considered especially sacred. Therefore I am delighted to have this opportunity to begin a new cycle of teaching on this auspicious day. Because of the day on which these teachings are beginning, I felt that the most auspicious and beneficial explanation to give, would be about the lives of His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa. When you study the biographies of the Gyalwang Karmapas you come to the conclusion that each one seems even more magnificent and bearing even greater blessings than the one before him. Therefore it would be impossible to attempt to choose from among them and say, t…